Committee not pushing for new mascot, just exploring optionsMichael ChristopherAssistant Sports Editor

When things just don't feel right, we seek a doctor for answers. One former Arkansas Tech student and team physician now has a dose of the right answers to answer to itching and burning questions that many students, alumni and fans have had the past few weeks.

Dr. Stanley Teeter is in.

Teeter sat down with The Courier to clear up any misconceptions people may have had on the Tech mascot change situation.

Teeter attended Tech from 1952-56 and was the team's physician from 1968 through 2001. He said he knew John Tucker before his football days when he was teaching and in administrative role. Teeter himself played football under Raymond "Rabbit" Burnett. Today, Teeter still attends Tech football games and says he's proud to be a Wonder Boy.

"He was the epitome of the tale of how the Wonder Boys got their name, I believe. I still am proud to be allowed to associate with the team and coaches on the sidelines, and that's a real joy for me," he said.

Teeter is one of the members of the committee who are to evaluate and study the need for a new mascot or other options. Tech has also created an Athletic Branding Initiative Web site where students, alumni, fans and anyone else can voice their opinion. According to Teeter, the committee is exploring ideas and not pushing for a change as some people had thought.

"I think some people have perceived this situation as a push to get the name changed rather than exploring ideas and getting feedback," Teeter said. "Even though I like the name Wonder Boys and Golden Suns, I agreed with some of the committee that it would be worth exploring other options at this time.

"But apparently, the reason this was brought to committee, as I understand it is, that there was some question, either from some of the alumni or present students, whether we should keep the name Wonder Boys or go with something else. So the committee members are left with these options to think about."

The committee was asked to evaluate three options and the information gathered from responses via the Web site, he said. To Teeter's recollection and understanding, the data would be released or disclosed to the committee at some point. He said there is no set date for the committee to come up with a resolution, and it has not yet been informed of another meeting date, however he wants to resolve the issue before school begins.

"I'm really confident that there will be a resolution before too much longer, and I feel like there needs to be one," Teeter said. "I think there will be one, and I think it's good these opinions have been voiced.

"My preference would be to just to try to solidify the community [college community] right now, and put this behind us before the semester starts, the season starts. So our athletes, coaches and everybody can focus on developing a winning program."

Dr. Teeter said he hasn't heard much from the other side - that there should be some sort of change. He said he feels it's important if people want to express their opinion to change the name, they should be free to do so because it's their right. If there was a change, however, he said he could live with a name change, but he doesn't feel now is the time.

"The contact that I've had with people talking about it personally to me, they've all been perfect gentlemen about it," Teeter said. "Just to say, 'Well I'll always be a Wonder Boy and I don't want them to change it. And even if they do change it, I'll always be a Wonder Boy.'

"It's not something that's going to devastate me if the name is changed. I'll still always support the athletic teams, the university academic programs, the coaching staff, the players, the alumni and the administration. As far as I'm concerned, that won't change."

In fact, Teeter said the Wonder Boy tradition will never change. He said he believes there hasn't been any negative connotations of the team name used. Like most people who aren't familiar with the name and what it means, he said he has to explain the story of John Tucker.

"I don't think I've heard negative connotations, I've heard people over the years ask, 'Well what is a Wonder Boy? We don't know,'" Teeter said. "It's hard to say. You just have to tell them the story about John Tucker for them to understand, but I never perceived it as a negative comment."

"I think the tradition will never disappear. Even if the name is changed at some point in the future, those of us who have been Wonder Boys, it will always be that. The Wonder Boy tradition will never change, and I believe that. I strongly feel most of the people that came through the program with me and all the years that I played and have been associated with the team, you know, they'll always be Wonder Boys."

Teeter said he couldn't visualize what a Wonder Boy looks like and doesn't have a suggestion for how to visualize it other than perhaps holding a contest for people to draw one and perhaps pick one, as was the case of the Golden Suns. Teeter did however define what a Wonder Boy is, and perhaps most accurately defined it as close as one who wants to uphold the school's highest tradition, could give.

"Well, gosh, it's hard to say. I never had tried to put any features on what a Wonder Boy is. I suppose someone who can do great things with the skills and the abilities that they have been given. I look at it as someone who achieves greatness through hard work and diligence," he said.

Regardless of a change or not, Teeter said he is proud of the tradition of his alma mater and doesn't see if having two names or one would be perceived as a problem. Teeter said he has made contact with numerous people who are supportive of keeping the names the same.

"I would want the change to be something appropriate that I could be proud of because I'm really proud of the tradition, not just the Wonder Boy athletics, but of the school and the direction they have taken over the years," Teeter said. "The help that they've given to a lot of kids who couldn't of gone to college otherwise. This is particularly true back in the 40's and 50's when a lot of kids could not afford to go to school without some assistance from people at Tech and supporters of Tech. There were no academic scholarships available back then to speak of.

"I've had several calls from alumni, and of course, people representing Wonder Boy athletics from the 40's to 70's generation. I've run into a couple of students in Little Rock, Missouri recently, they're talking about it and the two students I ran into said 'Well, we kind of like the name Wonder Boy.'" They weren't opposed to it.

"It really makes me proud of the fact that so many alumni and ex-Wonder Boys have expressed so much passion about remaining Wonder Boys. I'm proud of that. And my personal opinion right now is that I don't think we should make a change at this time, unless there's overwhelming evidence from other responders to the question. And even then, I don't think a change should be made right now. It may need to be evaluated again in the future."

While the prescription hasn't been written yet for Tech fans, students, alumni and supporters, they can rest assured the situation is being dealt with delicately. Dr. Teeter, like any good doctor, knows time is of the essence and the situation is not to be taken lightly.

If you are a former athlete, coach or administrator and would like to voice your opinion or have your story told, please contact Courier Sports Editor Quinton Bagley at 968-5252 ext. 245, you can also e-mail him at sportseditor@couriernews.com. You can also contact Courier Assistant Sports Editor Michael Christopher at 968-5252 ext. 244 or e-mail him at sports@couriernews.com.